The boy pointed down the hill. "At Vicker's farm," he answered. "I'm staying there all this winter." He laughed self-consciously. "I'm supposed to be weak or something, so Doc sent me here." "Who's Doc?" Janet inquired. "He was Dad's best friend, and now I guess he's mine. He sort of looked out for me after Dad--after Dad went." Janet looked up at him quickly, for his voice had trembled. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "Let's go in and look up that part in the animal book." She started to slide into the cellar, but he stopped her. "I know a better way than that. Come around here." He led her to the old porch and took down two boards from one of the windows. Janet crawled through and found herself in the Kingdom. "Oh, that is a lot better. Wonder why I never thought of it. It saves going through the spooky kitchen, and I just perfectly hate that ghostly hall." They sat down together on the floor and were soon engrossed by the book before them. From discussing dogs and horses they turned to other subjects, and before she realized it Janet was telling him why she had not gone to the fair. She looked at him after she had finished. He was frowning. "It was rough, I'll grant you," he drawled slowly, "but you should have stayed and faced the guns. There's never any sense in running away." Janet felt very much ashamed of herself all at once, and a dozen reasons why she should have stayed rushed into her mind. "It was cowardly of me," she exclaimed, "and I'm going back this very minute." "Good for you; it won't be much fun, but you'll be glad you did it, I guess. Say," he added after a pause, "will you be back to-morrow?" "Will, if I can." "And, say, you don't mind about my coming here, do you?" Janet had crawled through the window but she called back over her shoulder, "No, I'm glad." A red head appeared in the opening. "My name's Peter Gibbs," he called. "Mine's Janet Page." "Good night, Janet." "Good night, Peter." As the people came back to the Sunday-school room after the supper that had been served in the gymnasium, many of them were astonished to see Janet with Harry by the tent. Mrs. Blake was particularly so. "Why, Janet, where have you been? We were so worried about you!" she exclaimed. "And what have you done to your nose?" "I cut it, Mrs. Blake," Janet answered, "and I am sorry to be late." "Why, you poor child; what a pity. It doesn't matter at all about your being late." "Well, Janet, we thought you were lost, but I see you've found yourself,"--Mrs. Todd came up and interrupted her cousin. Janet looked at her blue eyes and knew she understood something of what she had gone through. "Yes, Mrs. Todd," she replied gravely, "I think I have." CHAPTER VII A STRANGER IN THE KINGDOM Janet halted in her climb up the steep bank at the back of the deserted house and smiled down at the ground. The perfect outline of a bare foot made a path ahead of her straight to the steps of the porch.